A Sudden Epiphany

This creative work, featuring a poem and two photographs integrated into the text, details a queerrelationship in Vienna, Austria, against the backdrop of global and historical violence. In the poem, a queer couple walks in downtown Vienna, noticing how stoplights in the capital city seem to depict same-sex relationships, thereby demonstrating an acceptance that was only just legalized in 2019. Initially overjoyed, given the country’s historical legacy of intolerance (Austria was the birthplace of Adolf Hitler, early 20th century fascism, and is still well-known for its traditional and conservative values), the couple realizes that their happiness is overshadowed by the epiphany that Austria is one of the few countries to have voted against a ceasefire in Gaza. Stunned by this realization, the couple looks on at the stoplights, aghast, considering the complexities of violence in today’s social context.